250 JOBS LOST AS CHICKEN FIRM CLOSES
Cappoquin Chickens, having failed eventually to find a buyer for the stricken plant, is to close down within the next six weeks with the loss of 250 jobs. The company had been in negotiations with the British company Derby Poultry, but the talks collapsed, and so did the hopes of all those who will be affected by the closure of the plant.
“It is devastating news for the area economically. It is devastating for the people who lost their jobs and for the growers in the area, for the entire West Waterford region. There are people who worked there for 30 years, families that took out mortgages that still need to be paid off. I hope that some assistance will be put in place for these people, that some solution will be found to help them,” says a concerned Jan Rotte, Mayor of Lismore.
Waterford Labour Party TD, Brian O’Shea, expressed his concern for the families affected by the announcement, “who now face a period of anxiety and uncertainty".
The impact that the closure will have at a local level cannot be overstated and Cappoquin has been the most significant employer west of Dungarvan. The news comes at a time of the year when, with children after returning to school, and with the Christmas cycle about to begin, families are already under huge financial pressure,” he told The Avondhu.
Mr. O’Shea called on Enterprise Minister Mary Coughlan, Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith and Minister for Food Trevor Sargent to do everything in their power to make sure that everything possible is retrieved from the current situation.
Cappoquin Chickens has been in operation under the direction of the O’Connor family since the 1930s. During the summer the company revealed that it was in major financial difficulty, with a deficit of €806,000 on an ongoing basis and €7million on a wind up basis, and that the only chance it had of staying afloat was by finding an investor.
The closure in Cappoquin follows in the footsteps of six other chicken processors that have gone out of business since 2000.
Published:
Thursday 18th September 7:24pm
